Tis the Season
by bnomiko
Summary: Seto takes a week off for the holidays, but there's no peace and quiet to be had with Pegasus and the Doom boys staying over at the house. ShonenAi. Prideshipping [SetoYami] and Domashipping [RafaelValonAmelda].
1. Ch 1: A Christmas to Remember

Pairing(s): Seto + Yami (main), Anzu + Yugi, Mai + Jou, Malik + Bakura, Rafael + Valon + Amelda  
Warnings: swearing  
Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! is the creation of Kazuki Takahashi. This is a not-for-profit fanwork and I do not own any of these characters.

**This is a SHONEN-AI fic (male + male romantic relationship). If you are offended by homosexual relationships, please do not read this. Flames will be disregarded.**

Setup for this fic:   
- Part of the Kai-baby / Yami-kins AU. Chronologically set 2 months after Aftermath.  
- Noa has been brought out of the virtual world, has a new body, and is living with Mokuba and Seto, and Yami has his own body and is separate from Yugi. The how and why isn't important on either of those.  
- "Bakura" throughout this story refers to Ryou Bakura, the hikari, and "Malik" refers to Malik Ishtar, the hikari.  
- Ages of characters: Seto is 20, Yami is 19, Noa and Mokuba are 14.

**

* * *

'Tis the Season**

**Ch. 1: A Christmas to Remember**

* * *

How Seto and Yami managed to make breakfast without setting themselves on fire no one really knew, but despite the fact that the young CEO had his crimson-eyed lover pinned against the stove while French toast, scrambled eggs with smoked salmon, and fried potatoes sizzled away in close proximity, neither he nor Yami nor the food got burnt. Not that the other three people in the room were paying much attention to the little lovefest going on on the other side of the kitchen…

"What Easter icon did the Australian government try to replace with a 'chocolate bilby?'" Noa asked, flipping the Trivial Pursuit card over to read the answer on the back. He didn't see what the question had to do with "People & Places," but whatever.

Mokuba scrunched up his nose. "What the heck is a 'bilby?'"

"I'm not sure, but I would have to guess the answer is the chocolate Easter bunny," Sugoroku said slowly after a moment's thought. He couldn't imagine what else it would be.

Noa gave a slight nod and flicked a blue plastic wedge Sugoroku's way. "That was a stupidly easy question. I could have guessed that just from context."

The old man just smiled and inserted the wedge into an open slot on his playing piece. He never thought that he'd be spending Christmas morning at the Kaiba mansion, playing board games with the two younger Kaibas while secretly listening to the sound of Yami's muffled laughter coming from the direction of the stove. Not that the house wasn't Christmas-y… Yami had gone to great lengths to tastefully spruce up the place for the holidays. Stately white candles were nestled amongst boughs of pine and curls of gold ribbon on the fireplace mantles. Wreaths with red, blue and gold glass balls hung on the doors, set off by a smattering of tiny white lights. Bowls of cinnamon-scented potpourri had been set out underneath the ubiquitous sprigs of mistletoe, which were strategically hung in the places most often frequented by either Seto or Yami. And of course, the magnificent centerpiece of the mansion's seasonal decorations… a nine and a half foot tall Christmas tree, heavily encrusted with ornaments in shining gold, ruby red, and royal blue, all centered around an unusual tree topper in the shape of a king's crown. So indeed, the mansion was aglow with the beauty of the holiday season, but those decorations were merely window dressing to Sugoroku.

He had been opposed to Yami's choice of boyfriend in the beginning, but not for the reasons most people would have guessed. He had already known by that point that the Seto Kaiba who had tried to kill him over a Duel Monsters card was not the same Seto Kaiba as the one who showed up a week after that first date to pick up all of Yami's things. Still, he had been worried about Yami. He didn't know if Seto was the type who would ever be ready for a relationship. But he was glad he had been wrong. Recent events should have worsened his opinion of the brash young billionaire, but instead… well, they finally laid to rest any worries he had about the veracity of Seto's love for Yami. Plus there apparently were unexpected side bonuses to the relationship as well. When Yami had gone in for a check-up on his leg six weeks after it was broken, the doctors had discovered that it was completely healed, and even the surgical scars were barely visible. There was no medical explanation for it and Yami's guess was that his connection to the Shadow Realm had something to do with it, but Sugoroku wondered at another possibility. From his understanding, Yami didn't start showing rapid signs of improvement until Seto opened himself up to their mind link again, so was Yami somehow able to subconsciously draw upon his lover to speed up his physical healing?

Seto's rich, rumbling chuckles temporarily drew Sugoroku out of his reverie, and he glanced up furtively, wondering what the joke was. Or perhaps it was just one of those private jokes that he wasn't meant to hear. Seto and Yami switched so effortlessly between mental and verbal communication that they barely seemed to be aware of it at times. The pair were now standing side by side and Seto had a hand on the small of Yami's back, moving it down to tug playfully at the belt loop of his boyfriend's jeans. It was a striking reminder that although Seto Kaiba the public figure was cold and distant, the private incarnation of that same young man was by nature equally intense with his affection. Not that anyone would be foolish enough to point that out to him. But it did make sense… Seto gave his all when it came to the people and things he was passionate about, and he was definitely passionate about Yami. Perhaps some people would only see that as a sign of youth and overactive hormones, but there really was more to it than that. Yami had been alone for 3,000 years and Seto, from what Sugoroku understood, had been nearly as deprived during his young life.

Speaking of being "alone," this was the first Christmas Sugoroku could remember in years where "the gang" had all gone separate ways for their own private holiday celebrations. They had gotten their group Christmas celebration out of the way the previous Friday simply because everyone had made radically different plans for once. Mai had wanted to go to Las Vegas on a lark and Jou, completely smitten, instantly agreed to the idea. Then somehow his sister got wind of it, decided she wanted to go along, and so of course Otogi and Honda were quick to follow suit. Malik and Bakura had also decided to leave town for the holidays and had flown out to Egypt to visit their respective family members. And Yugi… for the first time since Sugoroku had taken him in as a toddler, Yugi wasn't around for Christmas morning. Oh, he had wanted to be, even going as far as declining the Mazaki family's initial invitation for a ski trip, but Sugoroku had urged him to reconsider. Then Yami had stepped in and extended an invitation to Sugoroku for Christmas brunch at the Kaiba mansion, which alleviated the worst of Yugi's worry about his grandfather spending Christmas alone, so now the little duelist was hitting the slopes with his girlfriend instead of playing a second round of Trivial Pursuit against a pair of 14-year-olds who were sharper than most adults.

"Mr. Mutou? 'History' please."

The elderly game shop owner looked up at the sound of Mokuba's voice calling his name. "Oh? Ah, yes, sorry… let's see here." He drew a card and frowned at it. 'What Spanish explorer was beheaded and fed to vultures for treason?'" Ouch. What a pleasant question to consider before breakfast.

"Ewww. Uh… hmm. I already know this is the wrong answer, but… Francisco Pizzaro?"

"Answer is Vasco Núñez de Balboa."

"Rats!" Mokuba grumbled, pushing the die at Noa.

"That would be a nice way to terminate employees. Now where would I find vultures?" Seto asked loudly, inserting himself into the conversation. Yami smacked him soundly across the rear for that comment. "Ow. Okay, how about sharks with laser beams attached to their heads?" Smack. "Carnivorous reindeer? We can stable them with the horses."

A mock sigh. "I don't think so, Baby. They would eat the horses." And the ex-spirit didn't want his horses to get munched on, not even by imaginary creatures. When Seto had asked Yami what he wanted for Christmas, Yami had half-jokingly said, "A pony," but the brunette had taken that to heart and decided to have a small stable and covered riding arena built in the expansive yard, though it wouldn't be finished until spring.

Seto couldn't resist smirking, his eyes darting towards the window to gaze at the snow-dusted arena roof in the distance. But his amusement faded when the doorbell sounded... With all of Yugi-tachi off doing their own things, who would be at the door on Christmas morning?

Yami glanced over at Mokuba, who instantly popped out of his chair and yelled, "I'll get it!"

Seto crossed his arms and gave Yami a suspicious look as Noa got up and took off after Mokuba. "Okay, what's going on?"

Yami widened his eyes and put on his best innocent look. "Nothing's going on."

"I told you not to get me anything… you promised!"

"And I didn't get you anything. Really." Yami slid up against Seto and tugged him back towards the stove. "By the way, the French toast is going to burn."

Seto grumbled under his breath but walked back to the range anyways, realizing for the first time that there was WAY too much food for just the five of them. So it wasn't a deliveryman at the door, but guests instead? But who? He glanced down at Yami, expecting an explanation, but the shorter duelist only winked at him and began humming a random Christmas carol under his breath as he turned back to the pans on the stove.

* * *

Mokuba and Noa both made sure Seto remained in the kitchen before they opened the front door to find Yami's surprise to Seto standing on the stoop.

"Shhh!" Mokuba held a forefinger to his lips while taking another quick look over his shoulder, fully expecting Seto to come storming into the room and ruin the surprise. "Okay, good… Yami's distracting him. Hi, come in!"

Pegasus grinned as he crossed the threshold with luggage in tow. "Merry Christmas!"

"Ah damn, it's cold!" Valon complained, nearly bumping into Pegasus in his hurry to get into the heated interior of the house. "Rafael, can I _pleeease_ borrow your jacket?"

"Let me think… mmm, _NO_," the burly blonde responded as he began stacking his bags and Valon's just beyond the foyer.

"Oooh, mistletoe!" Pegasus pointed out, looking at the greenery above Valon's head. Valon made a show of being absolutely horrified, and quickly scurried out of the way with a short laugh.

"Shoes and coats off please," Mokuba said, playing man of the house for the moment, figuring that he was better suited for the role since this was Noa's first face-to-face meeting the former Doom members.

For his part, Noa just silently assessed the odd quartet. Oh, he knew Pegasus of course, but Valon, Rafael and Amelda had just been photos in an album, images on a monitor, until this moment. Valon immediately reminded him of Jou… a little too loud, a little too enthusiastic, and very energetic. Rafael, the oldest of the three, was just as Mokuba described - a walking wall of muscle - but despite his Rambo-esque exterior, he had an air of calm tolerance that made him look marginally less threatening. And Amelda… well, he looked even more feminine in real life than he did in pictures. The pink sweater he wore certainly didn't help matters any either.

"Well, you certainly have grown, Mokuba," Amelda said, giving the black-haired teen a slightly crooked smile. "And it's nice to finally meet you, Noa."

Noa just nodded and held his hand out to the redhead, then to the other men as well, including Pegasus. "Thanks. Nice to meet everyone."

"So why the hush hush?" Valon asked Mokuba, still rubbing his arms as though he were freezing.

"Oh, well… Seto doesn't know you guys are here."

"He'll know if Valon raises his voice a little more," Amelda pointed out.

A huge grin broke out across Valon's face. "Well then… can I do the honors?"

Mokuba thought about it, then smiled and nodded. Why not? "Okay, come with me."

So after peeling off his scarf and gloves, Valon picked up both his suitcases, followed Mokuba into the kitchen, and dropped his bags noisily onto the tiled floor while everyone behind him snickered. "So, which way to my room?" he announced loudly, delighting in the shocked expression on Seto's face.

"Hi guys!" Yami greeted warmly, leaning away from Seto momentarily to wave enthusiastically at his friends.

"You're fucking kidding me," Seto grumbled, glaring at Yami. _What the hell? They better not be…_

"Surprise, Kai-baby! Won't this be fun?"

* * *

One week. Pegasus and his little buddies would be staying over at HIS mansion for one whole week. _What, they can't afford a hotel room or four? Cheap bastards, _Seto fumed to Kaiba mansion wasn't some bed & breakfast, and he wasn't interested in playing slumber party like a squealing teenage girl. But… there wasn't much he could do about it. Pegasus and his buddies were Yami's _guests_ and apparently his "gift" as well, so he supposed he could survive another week with the losers… that was, if Valon would get the hint that he was never EVER going to kiss Yami, tradition or otherwise.

The house had been turned into a mistletoe minefield by Yami. Sprigs of the plant hung above Seto and Yami's seats at the kitchen table, above the stove, in the front doorway and over the stairs, in the entrance to Seto's office and their bedroom, above Seto's favorite recliner and office chair, and even in the shower. The brunette billionaire really didn't have any complaints about it initially since they garnered him plenty of nice kisses, which often led to other activities. But he hadn't been expecting to have someone like Valon over, because after brunch was consumed in the dining room and everyone moved into the family room to "hang out," Valon immediately sat himself in Seto's recliner in the corner and asked Yami for a kiss. So Seto physically hauled the Aussie out of HIS chair with a snarl, pulled HIS boyfriend onto HIS lap, and scowled at Valon like a dog protecting a favorite chew toy.

Then everyone began talking about what they wanted to do in the days to come. Even Sugoroku got in on the conversation. They considered going to KaibaLand, the museum, the zoo, shopping, dancing, catching a sporting event or concert… and the rising din of chatter gave Seto a headache. All he had wanted was to spend some downtime with Yami and his brothers since he didn't have the option of going in to work for a whole week…

_What's wrong?_

_It's… nothing, _Seto lied half-heartedly, though at least his headache was beginning to melt away just as quickly as it had begun.

… _It's obviously not nothing. You're not happy that I invited them here, are you?_

_Yami. They're your guests. I won't say a thing._

Yami pouted a little, twisting on Seto's lap so that he ended up lying sprawled on top of his lover, his chin resting on Seto's shoulder. _They're OUR guests and more importantly, our friends._

_Yeah, whatever. Fine… our guests, your friends._

_Kai-baby…_

"Awww, you two really are so cute!" Valon gushed. "I'm jealous." Seto rolled his eyes and gave Yami an "I told you so" look.

_Anyways, _Yami continued, _they won't be here at the house most of the time. Sounds like they'll be spending their week sightseeing and stuff. Nothing says we have to go along on all the trips, right? Let them take the boys out… it'll give us a bit of time alone._

_I am NOT letting those loonies take my brothers ANYWHERE! It's bad enough that they're staying here, _and Seto eyed Valon in particular, _those untrustworthy, brainless little…._

… _I trust them. _

Seto snorted. _Obviously._

_Seto, they're our friends, and they've done a lot for us. I mean, you had no problem handing them the keys and everything for the vacation house, and I talk to Valon almost every day and you're always doing business with Pegasus… So there's no reason for you to be suspicious of them at all. But… I don't want to argue with you on this. If you say no, I won't contest your decision._

The young billionaire didn't quite know what to say to that. But he finally said in compromise, _We'll talk about this later, all right?_ Valon operated on the same wavelength as Pegasus, which meant they were both insane, but he did sort of trust Amelda he supposed, and Rafael too… and well, maybe Yami had a point…

_Sure._

Pegasus, who had been waiting for an opportunity to interrupt the silent conversation, cleared his throat again, finally catching Seto and Yami's attention. "Well, it's too bad Kaiba Corp. is closed for the week. I thought maybe we could put aside an afternoon to go over contracts Kaiba, but… oh well, this is supposed to be a vacation, right?" he asked, figuring it wouldn't hurt to make the suggestion.

"I'm sure Seto can find the time while you're here," Yami answered evenly, surprising both his boyfriend and Pegasus. Was he serious? "Right, Baby?"

"Uh… yeah." Seto loved Yami, but damn… he'd never understand him. But perhaps… having the week off wouldn't be so bad after all. And perhaps hell had frozen over and he was starting going nuts in his old age.

* * *

Eventually the group came up with a schedule that involved a mix of activities, most of which didn't require Seto or Yami's participation, though they'd be welcome to join in if they so chose. But despite Seto's private hopes, Noa and Mokuba wanted to go along for several of the excursions and he found himself being forced to accede to their wishes when Mokuba began asking him for a reason why they couldn't go. Even so, if it weren't for Yami's constant reassurance, he probably would've kicked Pegasus' entire bunch out of his home as a response rather than give his brothers permission to "go and have a good time."

"Yay! Thanks, Nii-sama!" Mokuba cheered, clapping Noa on the shoulder before giving Seto a huge, bright grin.

The brunette CEO simply nodded, relaxing marginally at the happiness radiating off of Mokuba. But just as quickly he began tensing up again, because Valon suddenly announced that it was time for "part two" of Yami's Christmas surprise.

_Oh God, this better not be one of those things where Valon convinced Yami that I want a strip show or something! _Seto fumed silently as Valon went to fetch something from his luggage. But when he returned, the young billionaire saw it was only a laptop, though Valon apparently thought it was funny to seat himself on the arm of the recliner while booting up the computer.

"I swear… Valon…" Seto growled, but the Aussie obviously wasn't intimidated as he suddenly leaned over and shoved the laptop at Seto before backing off a tiny bit.

"Ah, don't get your undies in a twist. Here, Yami asked me to put this together for you. A hug would be nice, but I'll accept a 'thank you' instead," Valon teased, knowing full well that it was unlikely he'd get either one.

_If I hug him, maybe I can "accidentally" strangle him somehow, _Seto snidely informed Yami.

Yami poked his boyfriend in the ribs, rolling back over so that he could look at the little screen of the laptop as well. _SETO._

With a snort of indignation, Seto looked down to see a video clip of some sort of home movie all set to start, so he went ahead and clicked play, not sure exactly what to expect.

It turned out to be a home movie all right, but in the literal sense. Valon, Amelda and Rafael had taped a walkthrough of the vacation house Seto had purchased, showing off all the renovations and the decor in the townhouse since neither he nor Yami had ever actually stepped foot inside the place. It was… surprisingly nice, not at all the type of dump he had envisioned being suckered into buying, the result of a lot of work and attention to detail and… well, dang. It really was a nice surprise.

The layout was a mirror image of the duplex next door that the ex-Doom members called home, but everything in this unit looked brand new, from the gleaming wood floors to the paint on the trim. The deck in the rear was the only thing that looked unfinished, but that hardly detracted from the amount of work that had been done already. There was a large bedroom on the first floor and two more on the third, with all the living space on the second, and every room looked like it had been professionally decorated. The furniture was a mix of art deco, machine age and mid-century modern, and it was all done in earthy neutrals and variances of gray - the result was clean and inviting, playful yet casually elegant. But the thing that really caught Seto's eye were the splashes of color that punctuated each room. Tucked in amongst everything else were complementary accessories in bold red and blue, always one of each color, and always arranged as a pairing. Like the pair of glass pendant light fixtures above the kitchen peninsula, or the two slender vases on the sideboard, or the graphic throw pillows that softened the straight lines of the black leather sofa… a very definite sign of Yami's hand in the design process.

When the video footage finally came to an end, Yami turned to Seto and said, "Well…? I hope you liked it."

Seto handed the laptop back to Valon, who immediately bounded off to show Mokuba and Noa the clip as well. _It's… really nice, _he admitted. _You picked all that stuff out?_

Yami chuckled, pleased with the compliment. _I did, with a lot of help. I'd specify what I was looking for and Amelda would go shopping with Valon, who'd take pictures on his cellphone and send them to me. Rafael took care of arranging most of the renovations and probably even helped out a bit. I think I drove them all a little crazy with my "demands," but… this is my first time seeing the finished product, and I'm very happy with it, though I wish the entire house were done by this point._

_Huh. _Seto couldn't help but be impressed with the results thus far._ I didn't know they taught interior design to Pharaohs_, he said in way of thanks.

_Only to the gay ones, Baby,_ the crimson-eyed teen joked.

_Hn. You should quit your job as a comedian and redecorate the mansion instead. Most of this stuff belonged to that bastard Gozaburo, and I don't really care for it._

_I can do that. _Then Yami kissed his lover on the cheek. _Merry Christmas, Seto. I know you didn't want me to get you any__thing__, so I figured I'd take you literally at that, just like you took my "I want a pony" statement at face value._

_Uh… wait, that was a joke?_

The ex-spirit's eyebrows went up. _I didn't actually expect you to put a stable in, but I have no complaints. I can hardly wait to ride again._

… _You didn't actually want a pony?_ And to think, he already had someone out scouting for a polo pony.

Yami laughed aloud, but once again, no one else in the room was paying them much attention. "Oh, Seto…"

* * *

TBC

Author's Notes:  
- This is a holiday fic with minimal emphasis on the holiday part, so if it doesn't read like a typical Christmas story, that's why. And that's also my excuse for putting this up so late.  
- Originally it was supposed to be Noa and Sugoroku playing Duel Monsters, but alas, with my extreme lack of knowledge about how the actual card game works, I went with Trivial Pursuit instead. Chose a random card, picked a question, and there you have it.  
- I know that in canon Yugi's mom lives with Yugi and Sugoroku. But like many writers, I don't really see her serving any purpose in the story, so she was completely written out in favor of Sugoroku and in this ficverse, he is the one who raised Yugi.  
- The "sharks with laser beams" line is from "Austin Powers."


	2. Ch 2: The Gift

Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! is the creation of Kazuki Takahashi. This is a not-for-profit fanwork and I do not own any of these characters.

**

* * *

'Tis the Season**

**Ch. 2: The Gift**

* * *

The first three days of the holiday break went by in a blur. Seto and Yami took full advantage of the fact that Yugi, Anzu, Sugoroku, Mokuba and Noa were willing to play host for the multiple trips to KaibaLand and various other tourist attractions that keep their out-of-town visitors away from the house for extended periods of time. But by the time Saturday rolled around, Seto was going a wee bit stir crazy from being at home for such a long stretch of time and started hinting that he'd like to check in on things at the office, despite the fact that the entire company was on vacation until after New Year's.

Sure enough, Yami remained true to his word and readily agreed that it would be a good idea for Seto to get some business matters with Pegasus out of the way. And Pegasus agreed to go although he wasn't exactly eager to talk business during his vacation, but he figured he'd make an exception in this case since there were a few things he wanted to settle once and for all. He only hoped that Seto would be receptive to what he had to offer on the proposal and contract he had already written up.

So while the others began discussing their afternoon activities, Seto pulled his Koenigsegg CCR out of the garage and headed to Kaiba Corp. with Pegasus. And almost immediately, the silver-haired CEO made a mental note to never ride in a car that Seto was driving ever again. Maybe his younger counterpart was just THAT eager to get back to work since the sleek sports car was tearing up the city streets at a ridiculous rate of speed, but one glance at Seto's face made him reconsider his assessment. The brunette was apparently driving like a bat out of hell for the sheer pleasure of it, or at least he hoped that was what that maniac grin indicated. And one did not purchase a performance vehicle of that caliber for taking it slow. Still, since Pegasus didn't exactly share Seto's need for speed, the experience was more nerve-wracking than impressive.

When they finally pulled into the empty parking structure adjoining the Kaiba Corp. building a short while later, Pegasus breathed a silent prayer and pried his fingers off the handholds. Following Seto to the entrance of the building, he waited silently as the other CEO went through a series of security procedures to unlock the doors. Since all the employees had the week off, the building was completely and utterly empty, so only the soft hum of the auxiliary lights in the lobby accompanied the sound of their shoes tapping rhythmically on the glossy tiled floor as they strode to the executive's elevator. More passwords and scans were done to activate the elevator before they finally began the ride up to the top floor. Once there, Seto unlocked the door to his office and simply said, "Have a seat; I'll be in in a few moments," before wandering off to check the fax machine.

Pegasus smiled to himself. It was funny that Seto would just leave him in the office alone after all the security precautions and passwords that had to be satisfied to get into the office in the first place. He hadn't been certain if Seto was ready to bury the hatchet so to speak, but perhaps… he was. This really was the first time he could recall the younger CEO allowing him to enter his office without escort, so he definitely was going to return the favor by behaving himself, but still, he couldn't resist taking the opportunity to look around the office while waiting for Seto.

The large space was still minimally furnished as it had been years ago when he had first seen it, but of course back then, the room still reeked of Gozaburo's influence. Seto had subsequently wiped it clean with such efficiency that it had an almost sterile quality to it. But now it had a little more life, and there was no doubt in his mind that Yami was at least partially responsible for all the little details that made the office look much more lived in. A few expensive knick knacks on the credenza, all dragon related of course… a huge, unusual metal sculpture of a Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon rising out from one corner as if guarding the door… dozens of enlarged reproductions of magazine covers lined up on the walls… a scattering of snapshots in streamlined silver frames on the large desk. Those caught his attention, and he bent down a little to peer at them.

There were one 5x7 and three 4x6 photos. The smaller pictures were just candid snapshots of Yami, Noa and Mokuba. In contrast, the centerpiece was a formal portrait taken in a studio setting, with Seto sitting on a polished black wooden pillar and Noa standing to the left, Mokuba to the right, and Yami standing behind Seto. The young CEO was wearing an all-white suit with the only hint of black being that ubiquitous belt with YAMI on the buckle. Noa and Mokuba were both wearing black suits with white shirts and black ties. And Yami was wearing a solid black suit with the only hint of white coming from the contrasting collar of his dress shirt, and instead of a tie he had opted to wear his leather collar around his throat. It was a very striking picture indeed, formal at first glance but playful as well, almost orchestrated like a Broadway show with the over-the-top outfits.

Stepping back, Pegasus wondered what was taking Seto so long. To pass some more time, he began looking at the spate of framed enlargements from magazine covers on the walls. _Now these are interesting..._ Many were from business publications, though there were a couple from magazines that were better known for their celebrity gossip or fashion advice than for business. And there were a handful of covers that had Yami on them instead of Seto. But the largest, most eye-catching piece was a huge enlargement of the most recent cover of TIME Magazine, which featured both Yami and Seto. "The Kings of Games" screamed the title, and beneath that stood the two great duelists, smirking at the camera. They each held five Duel Monsters cards in their hands… Yami with his left, Seto with his right, and their arms crossed one another as if they were flashing a glimpse of their cards to the other. But with the proximity of their bodies and the challenging looks on their faces and the way their hands were positioned, it almost looked like they were about to throw down their cards and began tearing off one another's clothing.

The silver-haired man chuckled. He wondered if that had been done that intentionally. Seto… probably not. Yami… well, he assumed Yami was the one who had coordinated the portrait session that had lead to the photo on Seto's desk, so he could definitely see Yami pushing the magazine for proofs and selecting that one shot as the one they _ought_ to use. All so that he could get the cover blown up and mounted on the wall of his lover's office.

"Enjoying yourself?" Seto's voice called out as he entered the office, shedding his overcoat and laying it across the shoulders of the Blue Eyes sculpture by the door. Ah, so it functioned as a coat rack then? But that didn't really surprised Pegasus… when did the ever practical Seto Kaiba keep something around that didn't serve some purpose? Though it was amusing to see that he couldn't bear just tossing his coat over one of the dragon's heads...

"I remember seeing this magazine on a table in the lobby of my office. I had to read the article, of course."

"The article was crap. I wanted to talk about the products that we had developed for this holiday season and the tournament I was proposing for the opening of the new KaibaLand, but the stupid reporter just wanted to ask me about my relationship with Yami. I expect that kind of shit from the tabloids, not from TIME."

"Oh? I don't remember much being written about your relationship."

Seto waved his hand dismissively in the air and settled himself into his executive's chair, motioning for Pegasus to grab a seat. "That's because Yami gave them hell until the article was rewritten to his satisfaction. He always does that. Frankly, I don't know why they even bothered giving him the time of day. What was he going to do, Mind Crush them?"

Pegasus resisted the urge to point out that Yami could in fact be quite… _convincing_ when he wanted to be. Even without the Shadow Magic. Former Pharaoh and all that. But he knew he didn't have to point that out. As much as Seto pretended to not care, of course he was proud to have a boyfriend who was his equal in methods of persuasion. He only hoped that he could be half as convincing…

"Well, let's get down to business then, shall we?" With a half smile, Pegasus reached into the slim leather briefcase he had been carrying and slid a small stack of papers across the desk at Seto. He watched the other man's reaction carefully, pleased to catch the flicker of surprise that flashed in the depths of Seto's eyes as the younger man quickly read over the proposal. An uncharacteristic show of emotion; one that most people would not have seen, but he took it as a good sign that not only was he able to catch it, but that Seto was relaxed enough to let it slip through before he reined it in.

After a few minutes of silence, Seto set the paperwork down and laced his fingers together, staring across the desk at Pegasus. "Okay, what's the catch?"

Pegasus stifled a sigh. "No catch." Ah, perhaps Seto wasn't as ready as he thought.

"Bullshit. I thought we agreed to renew the contract as is. Why would you propose a change that would only be advantageous to Kaiba Corp.?"

"If you really don't like it, we can simply extend the licensing agreement we currently have in place, but… why look a gift horse in the mouth, hmm?"

"… Because I don't trust you to make an offer like this without there being some hidden motive behind it."

Pegasus put a hand on his chest and gave the other businessman a hurt look. "Why, what have I done to garner such suspicion, Kaiba?"

Seto rolled his eyes and gave Pegasus an incredulous look. "Please, don't get me started on the laundry list of wrongs you've committed."

A nod. "And as I've told you before, I'm trying to make amends for all of that. I really am sorry. But... you know, life is certainly easier when you have more friends than enemies."

"What makes you think I want you as a friend?" Seto automatically snapped.

_Because I am no longer your enemy. _But Pegasus knew all he could do was extend the olive branch; it was up to Seto to accept or decline. "I ask that you consider it before giving me a final response," he finally said, purposefully vague about what exactly he was referring to. "Now then, you said you wanted to get some feedback about some of the ideas that your engineers came up with for the attractions at the new KaibaLand, correct?"

Seto gave Pegasus a hard look, then relaxed a little in his seat, accepting the change in subject matter. "All right then…"

* * *

While Seto and Pegasus were out talking business, Mokuba and Noa decided to hit the arcade while the former Doom members took naps due to the time zone difference. Well, at least that was what they were supposed to be doing. From all the noise coming from Rafael's room, Yami doubted that sleeping was the top priority. So it came as no real surprise when Valon ended up wandering into the family room as Yami was busy taking down some of the holiday decorations.

"Too bad… no more mistletoe," Valon drawled, flopping into Seto's recliner as Yami climbed off the stepladder. "And here I was hoping to catch you in time for a kiss." He picked up a Santa hat that had been laid across the arm of the chair and began fiddling with it.

Yami gave his friend an indulgent smile, thinking of the fit that Seto would throw if he saw Valon comfortably sprawled in his favorite chair. "Too bad."

"Yeah." Then Valon smirked and pulled the hat over his thick brown hair. "So tell me Yami, have you been a good little boy this year?"

The crimson-eyed teen rolled his eyes. "Of course."

"Well why don't you come and sit on Santa's lap and tell him all about it?"

Yami just laughed and shook his head. "I don't think so."

"Why not?"

"Because Santa's a pervert who's trying to get a free kiss out of this good little boy."

Valon pouted. "Ah, come on Yami, just play along!" He snagged Yami's wrist and gave it a very slight tug. "Please…?"

"Valon, don't make me Mind Crush you," Yami replied lightly, though the threat was far from empty.

But the Aussie didn't give up, and didn't let go. "I promise I won't do anything. If I do, may I get trampled by a mob of roos." He patted his lap in invitation. "Come on now, you know I'm good for it."

With a very loud sigh, Yami finally ended up perching himself on the arm of the recliner, letting his legs rest on the opposite arm. That was about as much as Valon was going to get out of him. "There, happy?"

"Not really, but it'll do." He released Yami's wrist and rested his cheek against the other teen's arm, looking up at the ex-spirit like a bright-eyed dog. At Yami's quizzical look, he said, "So things are okay now, aren't they? You had me worried, mate."

Yami was quiet for a minute as he considered the roller coaster his life had been for the last several months. The earthquake, his injuries, Seto breaking up with him and then reconciling… As much as he needed Seto, he needed his friends as well, and there would have been no way he could have gotten through the break up without their support and reassurance. "Yes, things really are fine now. Thanks for supporting me when I needed it. It... it means a lot to me."

"I won't pretend to understand what happened between the two of you, but… I know you wouldn't… er…" Valon frowned, trying to think of a way to word things without insulting Seto's character, though he couldn't help but feel angry when he thought of the break up. It wasn't like the young billionaire was _that _great of a catch. What good was a ton of money and good looks if the guy usually displayed the winning personality of a glacier? Valon liked flirting with Seto just for kicks, but he obviously didn't see in Seto what Yami saw… and loved. "Well, he must've had his reasons," Valon ended up saying lamely.

"Mmhmm. You'll just have to trust that I made the right decision in this regard." It wasn't that Yami didn't trust Valon, but... what he and Seto felt for each other wasn't something that he really wanted the whole world to know about. Some things were just too intimate to share with other people, no matter how near and dear they were.

Valon didn't even have to think about it. For even though he didn't understand Seto, he knew Yami well enough to know that the former Pharaoh was nobody's fool. "Yeah, I know you're too smart to ever let someone walk all over you. Too bad though…"

"Hmm?"

"… That means you won't move to California and be my new boyfriend."

Yami laughed and hopped off the arm of the chair. "Good try, but sorry, you're out of luck. Now, since you're taller than me... come help me get the rest of this mistletoe down."

"Oh, fine," Valon half-jokingly grumbled, but even the sight of Yami's denim-clad ass as it sauntered away couldn't quite bring his mood back up to snuff. Valon wasn't egotistical enough to think himself perfect with his checkered past and all, but if nothing else, he knew that he was as protective and dedicated to his friends and lovers as anyone could ever be. And Yami had earned not only his friendship, but his respect as well. So to know that Seto Kaiba was the one man capable of really hurting Yami… that just pissed him off. He swore to himself that if it ever happened again, nothing in heaven or hell would stop him from making sure that Seto got exactly what he deserved.

* * *

Afternoon became evening, the evening grew late, and after dinner and some television, eventually everyone retired to bed. But instead of going to sleep, Seto decided to go back over the proposal Pegasus had handed him earlier in the day. And although Yami was giving him every indication that he wanted to go to sleep, he just couldn't put the thing down.

"Ok, Seto… seriously. What's bothering you with the contract?" Yami mumbled against a smooth, bare shoulder. He was curled up against Seto's right side, wriggling his body against his boyfriend's, wishing Seto would just put the paperwork away for the night, though he knew full well from experience that the lights would stay on until Seto made a decision one way or another… and damn, it would be hard to sleep with the lights on!

"I'm trying to find the loophole in this proposal," Seto confided. "He has to be setting up some sort of trap for me."

Yami groaned and pulled an arm free of the blankets. "May I?" he asked, holding his hand out for the paperwork.

Seto thought about it, then handed the papers over with a half-hearted shrug. "Be my guest. But I've been over it forwards and backwards and upside down and I'm still not seeing jack shit."

"Mm." The ex-spirit spent several minutes going over the proposal carefully, eyes widening slightly at the same paragraph Seto had been surprised by earlier, before he finally handed the stack back to his lover. "Well, it looks to me like Pegasus is giving you a gift."

"I know that's what it _looks_ like, but there's a catch. What's the catch?" There was no way in HELL Pegasus was just going to hand over the copyright on the Blue Eyes White Dragon and all derivatives of that card for nothing. Seto knew a trap when he saw one, and this quite obviously was a trap of the most blatant sort. So why couldn't he see it?

Yami yawned widely and shifted until his cheek was resting up on the hollow between Seto's arm and chest. "Maybe there isn't. Maybe he's just being nice."

"Pegasus? Nice? Ha! Yami, this is a business deal, and _business_ doesn't work that way."

_But friendship does._ "If you ask me, that looks like a perfectly legitimate contract. But... what do I know about these things?"

"Don't be stupid. You're just tired and not thinking straight." Seto grumbled, but then he took a good look at Yami and sighed, reaching a hand up to stroke Yami's hair, which earned him a pleased purr. "I suppose I should just sleep on it."

A soft puff of air hit his chest as Yami snorted in disbelief. "That means you're going to stay up all night worrying about it, right?"

Seto went to deny it, then frowned. "I hate it when you read my mind."

_I'm not reading your mind. I just know how you are._

_Hn._

_You need to make a decision, Baby. Or else I'll be up all night as well._

_Yeah, sorry. _The brunette squinted at the paperwork some more, as if that would somehow allow him to see what he expected to see. _Argh, this is impossible! God damn that man!_

_... You want to know what I think?_

_I already know. You want me to just sign it, right? I can't do that, Yami, not even for you. _

_No, I just want you to consider what it is that you are finding fault with. Is it the proposal that you have issue with, or is it Pegasus himself?_

Seto was silent for a moment. _It's both. Maybe you've forgotten, Yami, but Pegasus took my brother and…_

_I haven't forgotten. Remember Pegasus wronged Yugi as well, but consider that none of us were really behaving… rationally back then. So just as you have changed for the better, as have I… well, have you considered the possibility that Pegasus may have changed for the better as well?_ Yami looked over at the pair of paintings on the wall across from the bed. They were Pegasus' original designs for the tattoos they now sported, and if the passion he put into his artwork was even a weak reflection of what he saw between Seto and Yami, then he had an understanding of the relationship beyond what Seto thought him capable of. Pegasus had been a madman, but those paintings... those proved to Yami that things had indeed changed for the Industrial Illusions CEO.

_I don't care._

Yami sighed inwardly and trailed his fingers down Seto's chest, enjoying the contrast between the warm, pliant skin and hard muscle just beneath. Seto's personality was the opposite... hard as ice on the outside, but like a roaring fire deep within for the lucky few who had been allowed to see it. _I think maybe you do, even if only a little bit._

Seto growled. Sometimes he hated how Yami could just slip in under his defenses; no, he couldn't hold that against Yami. What he hated was the fact that he allowed it. When did Yami's opinion matter in Kaiba Corp. business? The answer was it didn't, but that didn't stop Seto from taking it into consideration. Maybe Yami had a point, or maybe he just wasn't paranoid enough. But at least he could count on his lover to have his back no matter what decision he made. _Look, I'll… sleep on it. But… I can't promise anything. I still think he's trying to pull something here._

_Fair enough... Good night then, Seto._

_Good night. _

Despite that whispered exchange, neither Seto nor Yami actually fell asleep until a good half-hour later, when Seto finally came to a decision. A few quick flicks of the pen and the rustling of paper ultimately ended the sleepless stalemate.

TBC

* * *

Author's Notes:   
- Mm, this wasn't much of a humorous chapter. And it definitely wasn't a holiday chapter. But I wanted to get some character and relationship development in here somewhere.  
- As much as I'd like to think that Pegasus' offer to Seto would just make things all perfect and wonderful between them… I can't see that happening very easily. There is a lot of bad blood there and so far, Seto's tolerance of Pegasus hasn't extended very far past the business front. So the idea then is a gradual burying of the hatchet, and Pegasus is being extremely patient and persistent in this regard. But as much as Seto would like to deny it, he is forming friendships with his houseguests just as he has with Yugi-tachi, even though if he were confronted with it, the best I think he could currently say would be, "They're acquaintences."  
- The "Valon trying to get Yami to sit in his lap" idea came from Pysche. But as I wrote the scene, I couldn't quite get Yami to actually sit in Valon's lap, so I got it as close as possible without allowing it to happen :)  
- Yeah, I gave Jou and Valon similar responses to Seto's break up with Yami, but they're not exactly the same. Jou was outwardly pissed and spoiling for a fight in "Aftermath," but Valon's anger isn't as obvious here since he keeps it buried below the surface, though he is more than willing and capable of laying down some major hurt on Seto. 


	3. Ch 3: A Marshmallow World

Rating: R  
Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! is the creation of Kazuki Takahashi. Scrabble, Monopoly and The Game of Life are products of Hasbro, Inc. This is a not-for-profit fanwork and I do not own any of these characters.

**

* * *

**

'Tis the Season

**Ch. 3: A Marshmallow World**

* * *

Despite the fact that Seto had agreed to and signed the contract Pegasus had offered him, he really wasn't that much closer to befriending the silver-haired man or his trio of employees. Yami watched his lover alternate between ignoring their guests and glowering at their backs for a full day, then finally late that Sunday evening, he decided that he had enough of it and was going to do something to break the stalemate.

"There's nothing good on TV," Mokuba complained before finally shutting the television off and tossing the remote onto the sofa beside him. How was it that they could have over 700 channels and not be able to find a thing to watch?

"Would anyone be up for a board game or a card game?" Yami asked casually, knowing that a room full of gamers wouldn't be able to say no. "Poker, Scrabble, Monopoly…"

Seto smirked. "I'd be up for a game of Monopoly."

"Oooh, no! I've got something better!" Valon suddenly yelled. "I'll go get it!" The Aussie sprung to his feet and dashed out of the room. He didn't return for several minutes, but when he finally did, triumphantly plopping a long cardboard box down in the center of the coffee table, everyone noticed that he had switched into his dark blue flannel pajamas.

"I thought it was game time, not bedtime," Rafael commented.

Valon threw himself back on the loveseat, tucking one of his socked feet up under his thigh. "What? Figured I might as well get cozy…"

Pegasus scratched his chin. "Hmm… you know, that's not a bad idea! I think I'll go get my PJs too!"

"Uh, NO," Seto protested, but by that point everyone was starting to agree that sleepwear was appropriate since it was rather late at night, and then Yami volunteered to make mugs of hot cocoa with marshmallows as well, so despite Seto's objections, they all trotted off to go get changed. Seto eventually relented thanks to a lot of prodding from Mokuba, who spent about five minutes arguing with him through the bedroom door, and so finally the whole group ended up back into the family room in their loungewear. Seto and Yami wore similar robes, one blue and one red, and had split a single set of pajamas between the two of them. Seto had on the black cotton bottoms and Yami had on the shirt, but it was only obvious since Yami didn't bother cinching his robe all the way. Valon took one look at Yami's bare legs and had to _really_ refrain from making a smartass comment about who wore the pants in the house.

After he settle himself back on the recliner with Yami lying draped on top of him like a warm blanket, Seto took a good look around at the assembled group. Mokuba and Noa were in their usual PJs, which were exact duplicates of Seto's except for the colors. Amelda wore a leopard print velvet robe and beside him, Rafael was in a beige thermal weave shirt with brown striped knit lounge pants. But it was Pegasus' ensemble that really made Seto's eyes bug out. The silver-haired man was dressed in a pink-red sleepshirt with bunnies printed all over it. "Yay, it's like a fucking slumber party. So, when are going to start doing each other's makeup or whatever it is that _girls_ do?"

"Kaiba, I think lipgloss in a shade of light, cool pink would suit you best," Amelda replied in such a deadpan voice that for a moment, everyone stared at him with mouths hanging open. "What? … It was a joke!"

"Riiight. Okay, so let's see what we've got here. The 'Adult Game of Real Life?'" Noa asked, warming his hands on a mug of chocolate goodness topped with so many marshmallows that it looked like a cup of shaving cream. "Never heard of it before."

"I bought it two days ago from an, ah… adult store," Valon explained. "See, it's like the Game of Life, but…" and then he picked up the box and read straight off the packaging, "so realistic you'll think it was REAL LIFE. Play as singles or couples or even as a group of swingers! Get a job, get fired, get married and divorced. Hot and sexy fun for all your adult friends."

"Mokuba and Noa are NOT adults," Seto snarled, "and mentally, neither are you!"

Yami and Valon both rolled their eyes, then snickered as Yami successfully fought off Valon to swipe the last of the mini marshmallows in the dish, eating most of them straight instead of dumping them into his cocoa.

"Well, if mental maturity is all it takes, then we're mature enough," Mokuba pointed out, giving Yami a weird look.

"No, you're not," Seto argued back.

Noa snorted. "Oh, but it's okay for us to see you and Yami rolling around on the…"

"NOA!" Seto yelled, obviously flustered.

Yami didn't know whether to laugh or be mortified. _He sort of has a point, Baby._

The green-haired teen smirked inwardly as Seto offered no further verbal protest. The game hadn't even started yet and he had already scored a point. Certainly this had to be a sign of good things to come.

* * *

The game turned out to be a little different than they imagined. The rules were quite simple: roll a die, advance your tiny car the required number of spaces, and follow the instructions on the space, which usually required the drawing of a card from one of several stacks and the earning or losing of play money. The winner would be the wealthiest individual or pair at the end of the game, and they all decided to start off in pairs to make things easier. But Seto and Yami especially were not happy to find out that if they had a bad roll of the die somewhere, they could end up paired up with someone else.

The game started on a spot marked "Now leaving Childhood… Welcome to Adulthood!" With the high roll of six, Seto and Yami were the first to go and before they could even roll to advance their car, they were each required to draw a card from the 'Career' stack.

"Let's see here." Yami looked down at his card and began laughing even before he read it aloud. "'Congratulations! You've decided a lucrative career in the oldest industry on Earth is right for you. That's right, you're a pimp! Every time you pass a space marked , slap yo' hos! Roll the die and multiply the result by 200.' Hehehe… okay."

Seto raised an eyebrow. "Gee, congrats. Let's see what shit I get; it can't be worse than that. 'Congratulations! You've just dropped out of community college and have started a career as a stripper named Kandy Kane! Every time you pass a space marked , you get tipped! Roll the die and multiply the result by 100.' What. The. FUCK!?"

Valon began sniggering and reached into his small pile of play money, fishing out a 50. Handing it to Seto with a wink, he said, "Thanks for the lap dance, Kandy."

"Valon _darling_… are you already cheating on me?" Pegasus asked his gaming partner, then both burst into peals of laughter.

Seto snarled and crumpled up the slip of paper, but Yami placed his hand on his lover's arm to stop him from taking things further. But he couldn't resist flashing a wicked smile and then pushing a 100 at Seto. "Keep the change, Baby."

"I am NOT going to be a stripper! This game is stupid!!" the brunette billionaire yelled as he tried to get up to leave, but a still-chuckling Yami stopped him.

"Hehehe, I'm sorry, Kai-baby… oh damn, that's too funny. Look… what if we trade careers? You can be the pimp, okay?"

"I don't want to be a pimp either!"

"That's not fair," Pegasus complained. "What's the point of playing if you can just change the rules whenever you want?"

"If it keeps Kaiba in the game, I say let him switch with Yami," Amelda said, and next to him, Rafael nodded in agreement.

"But there's spots further on for a change of careers. So it's not like he's stuck as a stripper for the whole thing," Valon noted as he wiped tears of mirth from his eyes. "Come on mate, be a sport. Just live with it."

"It's just a silly game, Nii-sama. I bet the rest of us will draw things that are just as bad," Mokuba added, his eyes taking on a slightly pleading quality.

Seto ground his teeth but amazingly, didn't leave, although he was thinking about all the ways he could dismember Valon and stuff him down the garbage disposal. _Stupid Valon and his shitty game - I bet he rigged the cards knowing that we'd be the first ones to go._

_Seto, it's just a board game, and a very silly one at that._

_It sucks balls!_

A devious smirk crossed Yami's face. _Behave yourself and try to enjoy the rest of the game, and I'll do that for you later._

… _Really?_

_Of course. _

The Kaiba Corp. CEO considered the offer. _All right, you have a deal. Not that I'm doing it for that, but whatever. _

* * *

It ended up that no one else drew a career card as humiliating as Seto's, though some of the assigned careers were equally as amusing. Mokuba became the owner of a gay bar called WoodyPecker, Noa an internet entrepreneur who ran a porn site, Rafael a controversial radio talk show host, Amelda a movie star with a propensity for sleeping around, Pegasus an unemployed ex-con on parole, and Valon… he ended up with the glorious position of burger flipper. Seto never got any happier with his career assignment, but he secretly had to admit that it could have been much worse. At least he and Yami weren't getting financially trounced like Pegasus and Valon, who currently had only 100 between the two of them…

"Oh thank goodness! Valon _darling_, I can hardly wait for our divorce to be finalized," Pegasus crowed as he read the 'Life Altering Decisions 1' card that he had drawn. In no way did he hate being paired up with the Aussie, but between his pay of 0 and Valon's 50 times a die roll, they were rapidly falling further and further behind the other teams in the game.

"Ahhh, _snookums_… you're breaking my heart. What will we tell our precious children?" Valon asked, smirking mightily. Then he drew a card as well. "Well, it looks like our divorce has caused me to develop a crack addiction. 'Every time you pass a space marked , you must pay 50 to the local drug dealer (if one is in play) or to the bank in support of your habit.'"

Pegasus tsked. "Those poor kids… to think that their _mommy_ is a dope fiend… wait a minute. OUR children? Oh no no no… the twins Nolan and Nylan are YOUR children. Only little Peggy Sue is mine. Or did you forget about that affair you had with Noa?"

"I can't believe you guys named your plastic pegs," the "father" of the twins muttered under his breath.

"You should be grateful that I successfully sued him for child support!" Valon continued, ignoring Noa's little comment. "As if anyone else would pay for your classes at clown college... But oh well, now you're going to have to support me instead."

Pegasus grinned and began moving pegs from his car into a separate vehicle for Valon. "The card says I have to pay 50 percent of my income for any child that's biologically mine or that I've legally adopted. The rub is, of course… my income is zero."

Valon scowled and snatched the card up from the table. Sure enough, the silver-haired man was right. "I hate you, you bludger." The younger brunette drummed his fingers on the table, then looked around at the assembled group. "So, who wants to be my new spouse? Ya…"

"Don't even think it, druggie," Seto growled. "It's bad enough that you had kids with my brother."

"You do realize how silly this all sounds," Yami pointed out quietly, though he was happy to see that Seto was getting into the game, odd as it was.

"Well, I need a new spouse or boyfriend more," Pegasus chided. "My income is still zero."

"Shut up… _deadbeat dad_."

"_Crackhead_."

"_Jailbird!_"

"_Two-timing trollop!_"

Valon gasped at that. "How dare you speak to me that way?! I… I want a divorce!"

"You can't divorce me because I'm divorcing you first!"

While the two continued play arguing, Seto smirked and commented with amusement in his voice, _You were right, Yami. This is kinda fun._

_Hehe, told you._

* * *

By the time the game moved into its final stages, Yami was glad to see that Seto had indeed relaxed a bit, the tension that had been plaguing him all day melting away like marshmallows in hot cocoa. Of course, it had helped immensely when Seto dumped his initial career of stripper for the much more lucrative world of lingerie modeling, then finally graduated to the position of evil overlord bent on taking over the world. Even lingerie modeling didn't pay like evil overlord did.

"Ha! One more roll and Yami and I will have this stupid game in the bag," Seto gloated, though no one in the room was contesting that fact. Despite their slightly rocky start, Seto and Yami had gotten through the game virtually unscathed, though it came as no surprise to anyone since Yami had remained Seto's partner throughout.

"I think we're just fighting for second now," Amelda confessed, rolling the die and advancing his and Pegasus' piece the required three spaces. After Valon and Pegasus' break up, Amelda and Rafael had been forced to go through counseling for infidelity and ended up divorced as well, and Amelda eventually got paired with Pegasus, who by that point had switched "careers" to trophy wife/husband, which meant his income was still a big, fat zero. While they were doing okay, Amelda guesstimated that they were behind the team of Noa and Mokuba, as well as Rafael. The two youngest teens had done pretty well for themselves despite the setback of a temporary break up, and were the first ones to reach the final square "Retirement" and tallying up their total earnings. And Rafael was doing just fine as a solo player even after paying to send his and Amelda's daughter to Harvard University, but ah, poor Valon… he ended up as a single parent to four children and his career path lead ultimately to being a seller of his own biological samples on eBay.

"Oh, rack off," Valon snapped, "I'll be lucky if I don't finish last. Damn, how'd I end up with four kids? What a stupid game."

"You probably have a lot more than four kids out there with all that sperm floating around in cyberspace," Rafael commented, which elicted a series of groans from the other players in the room. It wasn't exactly a pleasant visual image, but at least no one made a "slut" comment.

"Valon, don't be a sore loser. You're the one who wanted to play," Seto reminded him from behind Yami's shoulder.

Valon snorted at the irony that of all the people in the world, it was Seto Kaiba lecturing him on being a sore loser, but Yami caught his eye right before his mouth opened and something in his expression made the Aussie shut up and think. And then... he figured it out; Yami had planned the whole thing from the beginning, before the plastic wrapper had even been removed from the game box. Didn't matter the game, he always knew he would win whenever it suited him and from the confident, relaxed smile on Seto's face… it obviously suited the ex-spirit to clinch a win this time around. Whatever had been bothering Seto all day - and yes, Valon had noticed it earlier - was forgotten in glowing light of victory. _Heh, the King of Games… ah well, I guess it doesn't really matter. _"Yeah, you're right. So… rematch once this is over?"

"Not for me. It's getting rather late," said Yami, settling back against his boyfriend in contentment, glad that his friend understood.

"Nothing says it has to be today…"

Seto instantly accepted the challenge. "Best two of three then, but it'll be my pick of game for next round."

Valon nodded. "Fair enough. So tomorrow then? And which game?" _I bet he's going to say Monopoly._

"Monopoly."

* * *

TBC

Author's Notes:   
- Damn those marshmallows! I chose the title from a list of Christmas / holiday music and then... I got a horrible craving for marshmallows while writing. Damn cravings!  
- Re: Aussie slang. "Bludger" - a lazy person, "rack off" - get lost.  
- Obviously the "Adult Game of Real Life" is something I totally made up. It's loosely modeled after the "Game of Life" but verrrrry loosely… LOL


	4. Ch 4: Monster's Holiday

Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! is the creation of Kazuki Takahashi. This is a not-for-profit fanwork and I do not own any of these characters.

* * *

**'Tis the Season**

**Ch. 4: Monster's Holiday**

* * *

"Come on, let's have one more go at it!" Valon begged as he followed Seto up the stairs, Monopoly box in hand. After that sad, sad loss in the Adult Game of Real Life and a subsequent loss first thing that morning in Monopoly, a game which Seto had won readily, he was determined to make it a "best of five" scenario, but Seto wasn't interested in gaming with someone that he considered to be beneath him. But instead of yelling "NO!" for the umpteenth time, the young CEO silently stomped into the master suite, slamming the door shut right in Valon's face. Not that that really deterred Valon… he simply decided to sit and wait in the hallway. Seto had to eat or use the bathroom sometime during the day…

Yami and Pegasus both stared owlishly at the door upon Seto's loud entry into the room, then they began scrambling to hide any evidence of whatever it was that they had been doing. _What the hell?_ Seto swore that he had seen Yami standing there with his shirt half pulled up with Pegasus sitting on one of the chairs in the seating area while… drawing something? There was no other explanation for the pad of Bristol paper Pegasus was clutching to his chest, nor the neatly arranged art supplies within easy reach on the side table… but what was he working on, and why was he in HIS bedroom for the love of God? And why was he hiding the drawing now that Seto was trying to see what it was?

The former Pharaoh simply said soothingly, "It's a surprise, okay?"

"Good surprise or bad surprise?" Was Pegasus doing a sketch of Yami? But even so… why did Yami have his shirt pulled up?

Pegasus tsked. "Oh come now, Kaiba, would I… er, would _Yami_ give you a bad surprise?"

Seto quirked an eyebrow, but didn't verbally respond. Actually… he didn't know what to say. His last surprise from Yami was standing there staring at him, so really… what would be the appropriate response?

Yami sighed inwardly but kept the smile on his face. "Don't worry, this is a good surprise. But… you won't find out what it is until tonight, okay?"

"… Okay." What the hell, did Pegasus not know that this was supposed to be a private conversation? Why was he just standing there? _Speaking of surprises… I wasn't going to tell you till later, but… we have an appointment to look at some horses today._

Yami's eyes widened a little and his lips pursed. _Oh. I… I really wish I could go Seto, but… I've made plans already. An appointment, actually._

The brunette snorted. _Cancel it._

_It's part of the surprise._

_Surprise me later._

_Kai-baby…_

_Yami-kins._

_Please… it's a really good surprise. Can't we look at horses some other time? Or maybe you can pick a few that you like and I can go see them some later on. Nothing says you have to make a decision to buy immediately and in fact, since the stable isn't even complete yet, it's better if you don't just buy on impulse, you know?_

Well, he supposed Yami did have a point there. But still... _And your surprise has to happen today?_

_Tomorrow is New Year's Eve. So we'll be too busy tomorrow with people flying in and probably an impromtu party and such._

_Great, a party too?_ The young billionaire stared hard at his lover, who crossed his arms and stood firmly in place. It had to be one hell of a surprise if Yami had already spilled the beans about a New Year's Eve bash AND was passing up the opportunity to start selecting horses for their little stable. _But you know I don't know anything about horses, so isn't it kind of pointless for me to go alone?_

_Then take someone with you. Like… Valon._

Seto rolled his eyes. "Hey Pegasus, you know a lot about horses..."

Before the silver-haired man even had a chance to nod, Yami argued back, "Pegasus is busy. Why don't you take Valon? He rides, and he's obviously bored…"

"I don't want to take Valon," the brunette responded with a slight sneer. "I'd rather have Pegasus."

"Oh, Kaiba-boy…" Pegasus blurted out, grabbing both Yami and Seto's attentions, "While I am oh-so-flattered that you'd rather have _moi_, I'm afraid Yami's quite right. I already have something planned for today. Part of your little surprise, don't you know."

_What in the world is he planning? _But since Yami obviously wasn't going to change his plans just to suit Seto's, and the entire hush-hush about his surprise had Seto's curiosity piqued, the brunette sighed and finally grumbled, "Fine, I'll take the loser with me."

Yami couldn't help but smile despite the fact Seto was now scowling. Though their timing was off, he was sure that things would work out fine, and it was heartening to know that Seto was putting so much effort into his Christmas gift. Yami really was looking forward to being able to ride. Wanting to reassure and thank his lover for his thoughtfulness, the crimson-eyed teen took a step towards Seto and wrapped his arms loosely around his waist, his fingers seeking contact with the warm skin on Seto's back beneath his sweater. _It'll be worth it… you'll see._

* * *

Less than an hour later, Yami and Pegasus stepped into a familiar little shop in a nondescript strip mall in downtown Domino.

The mohawked man at the front counter looked up and waved. "Hey man, I remember you," he said, gestruing briefly at Yami's crazy 'do before running a hand through his own hair, which was now dyed green and purple. "So you enjoying your tat? Came for another?"

Yami grinned. "I'm Boo-Boo's two o' clock. I know I'm a bit early, but the design isn't quite finalized yet."

"Ah, 'kay. Lemme go grab him for ya."

A minute later, the bear-like Boo-Boo came out from the back and leaned against the counter, tossing his head at Yami in greeting. "Hey Mutou. So what are we doing fer ya today?"

"This is Pegasus Crawford. He did the illustration for the tattoo I got last time. So since he was in town… I figured I'd add another dragon to my collection." Yami nodded at Pegasus, who pulled out his sketchpad and flipped it open to the drawing he had been working on earlier in the day, showing the tattoo artist several unfinished sketches of the Blue Eyes White Dragon in various positions. "I want one of these on my lower back, but we're not sure what pose would work the best on that area of my body."

"Hmm. Come to the back and let me take a better look at ya." So Boo-Boo led the other two to his workstation in the back of the shop and had Yami shed his shirt to give him an unobstructed view of what he had to work with. The new BEWD designs were all in perfect scale to the one already on the ex-spirit's shoulder, but instead of being in profile, these were depicted head-on and from a frontal three-quarters view, with their necks arched so that they would be looking up at their brethren.

"I think this one looks the best if I put the tail down," Pegasus mentioned, pointing at one drawing in particular ,"but I didn't want to ask him to drop his pants while I was drawing."

Boo-Boo shrugged. As if he hadn't seen it all already. Holding up the sketchpad, he said, "The wingspan looks like a good fit, and the tail should probably trail down this way…" And he poked at the spot where he thought it should end. "Sound good with that little change?"

Yami craned his neck to see over his shoulder, imagining what the finished tattoo would look like. "Sounds good."

"So let's do this, okay?"

* * *

At a horse farm far outside the city limits of Domino, Seto was asking himself, _Why me?_ for the millionth time. True, Valon did seem to know a thing or two about horses, but did he ever shut up?

"Hey, so... when did Yami decide to start playing polo anyways?" Valon asked after a groom lead off the last of the prospective mounts. The stable manager that was showing them around had disappeared to take a phone call, so Valon figured this was a good a time as any to chat it up, since he had been relatively quiet for some time.

"Yeah, whatever," the young CEO mumbled. He hadn't realized that horses were so… _smelly_. And big. Wasn't that something he should have remembered after visiting Pegasus' ranch? He sure hoped that the stable he was building was in a spot downwind from the house.

"Er, Kaiba?"

"Hn."

"Yami. Polo. Didn't know he played."

Seto leaned back against a white fence rail. "He doesn't."

"Oh. But he wants to?"

Seto shrugged. How would he know? This was _exactly_ why he needed Yami to come along with him on this little trip. Stupid Valon and his stupid questions. Of course, it occurred to him to just ask Yami what he wanted in a horse, but the former Pharaoh seemed to have clamped down on their mind link a bit more than usual. _Hn. Probably trying to hide that surprise of his…_

Valon shut up for a moment, then turned back to look at the neat row of stables. "Ahhh… tell me again why we're looking at polo ponies? I mean, if Yami isn't interested in polo, it really makes no sense to invest in a polo pony. If he just wants to ride, any old nag will do."

Seto narrowed his eyes at the Aussie. "Yami isn't going to ride some 'old nag.'"

"All right then. Does he ride English or Western? Is he interested in jumping, dressage…"

"I don't know! Why do you keep asking me…" _Isn't a horse a horse? What's the diff?_

Valon gave a lazy roll of his shoulders. "Makes no sense to me, mate, that's all."

"Look," _you aggravating little twit,_ "I just want to get Yami a nice breed of pony to ride however he chooses, okay?"

"Errr…." Valon scratched his head, wondering just how much of that sentence he ought to correct. "Well, not all horses come trained in both English and Western style, so you'll have to figure out which he prefers, unless you want to invest time and money in a trainer. Also… polo ponies aren't a breed, and isn't Yami a little… _adult_ for a pony?"

"He's short. Ponies are short. At least they're supposed to be. Those did seem to be a bit… tall."

Valon began sniggering. "Holy dooley! You do realize that they put little nippers on full-sized horses, don't you? And polo ponies are usually just slightly smaller thoroughbred or thoroughbred crosses; they're not ponies at all."

"Well why the fuck do they call them ponies then?"

Valon just smiled as the stable manager came back into view, then asked loudly, "So, is that it then?"

"Yes sir, those are all the available ponies we have for sale at this time."

Valon and Seto exchanged a quick look, then the Aussie said, "Guess you'll need to bring Yami with you next time, huh?"

"Obviously."

After handshakes and the courtesy exchange of pleasantries, the pair went to leave while the manager trailing them in escort. But as they passed a small enclosure on the way out, Valon spotted a pair of ponies - real honest-to-God ponies - nibbling on some grass. The smartass in him couldn't resist grabbing Seto by the sleeve and saying, "Now see, _those_ are ponies."

"No, those are large dogs." One was barely Yami's height if it picked up its head all the way, but the other probably didn't even reach his waist. He had no interest in buying something so small that it wasn't rideable by anyone over 20 pounds. What was the point in feeding a critter that didn't serve any practical purpose?

"Heh. You have to admit, the little one is cute though… kinda looks like your kid brother."

Seto looked the smaller of the two ponies over more carefully as Valon wandered over, crouching in front of the wooden fence surrounding the enclosure. He supposed the tiny bay Shetland's mane was vaguely reminiscent of Mokuba's overgrown hairdo; the pony had such a thick shock of long black hair that it probably couldn't even see what it was eating. "Looks more like Yami's damn Kuriboh to me."

"Ha! You should buy it and name it that! Hey, jackaroo," and Valon turned to find the stable manager, who was huffing as he ran towards him, "is this little guy for sale?"

"Careful - he bites! I'd feel a lot better if you'd move away from his paddock," the man said nervously. "But yes, he is for sale, though no one wants him since we can't seem to break him of his biting habit."

Valon wiggled his fingers at the pony, then slowly stood up to lean against the rail. "Nah, I'm all right. I have a way with horses, you know."

The young CEO folded his arms. "So he's unfriendly and useless. Sounds like such a great investment."

"Maybe you can turn him into a guard dog or something. Besides, he's such a little cutie."

"And what could he possibly…"

All of a sudden Valon jumped back from the fence and let out a cry that sounded like a cross between a scream and a yip. "Shit! The little fuck just bit me on my knee!"

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" the stable manager yelled, kneeling to check on Valon's leg as Seto burst into raucous peals of laughter. The fabric of the teen's jeans was intact, so the pony hadn't bitten very hard, but still… it wasn't something Valon had expected. "I was afraid this would happen..."

With a growl, Valon brushed the man's hands away and spun around to face his attacker. "Stupid little shit!" he cursed as the pony started stonily back at him.

Seto kept laughing. "You know what… I'll take the little bastard."

"You will?" asked the stable manager.

"You will?" Valon echoed.

"Why not? An attack pony that hates you! I like him a lot more already."

* * *

Seto arrived back at the mansion in a much better mood, comforted by visions of his new purchase, which he was already calling Kuriboh, mauling Valon on some future visit to the mansion. If there were any future visits. Because there wouldn't be. Well, not if it were solely left to his discretion.

Yami didn't come home until a while later, and when he did, something seemed off about him. He walked in with a grin on his face, but he seemed to be stepping gingerly as if he had pulled something in his back or thigh. Seto gave his lover a questioning look and was rewarded with a slight cant of Yami's head before the shorter duelist lead him up to their bedroom.

"I have a surprise for you, Yami."

The crimson-eyed teen wandered into the closet and began rummaging for clothes. "Really? So do I."

"Obviously. You first."

Yami just chuckled and picked up his pajama top and robe, which was an odd choice of clothing since it was still relatively early in the evening. "Oh, all right." He turned around and began stripping off all his clothing, revealing huge patches of plastic and gauze taped to his back and down one buttock. "Go ahead, take a peek." _I hope you like it._

_You got another tattoo? _Instantly the prized attack pony was forgotten as Seto's mind raced to conjure up all sorts of possibilities; everything from "Seto Kaiba's – Hands Off!" to a whole line of bouncing Kuribohs to a reclining Dark Magician courtesy of Pegasus. His throat constricting for some unknown reason, he stepped forward to cautiously peel back the protective layers to reveal a magnificent dragon that practically erupted from the angry, reddened skin it had been captured on. Pegasus had reworked the design a lot more than he had originally expected after hearing Boo-Boo's input, but the result spoke for itself - the dragon appeared to be in mid-flight, pumping its wings to speed it along its way to joining the other two on their loftier perches. Unable to find the words to describe the elation he felt at seeing another dragon on Yami's back, Seto could only think to say, "Good thing Pegasus designed this before the end of the year, or else he'd have to pay me royalties for it."

"Haha... I saw that Pegasus made sure to include a clause that allows him to use the BEWD and all related derivatives royalty-free. Besides, even if he didn't, it was really nice of him to draw this up on such short notice. I thought you might appreciate adding a third dragon to the two we already have. And... it's something hot to look at during sex."

"Hn. I never had any complaints about the view, you know." Seto let his left hand drop down to caress the smooth skin at Yami's hip.

A warm smile. "Why, thank you, Kai-baby. So… what's this surprise of yours? Did you have an okay time with Valon? I know you two don't always see eye to eye…"

"I bought you a pony."

"Uh… you did? Shouldn't we have talked it over first?"

"He's too small to ride, so I guess he's sort of like a dog instead. And he's the smartest damn pony-dog on the planet," the brunette bragged.

"Wow." _He really must be something to make an impression like that on you, since uh… in your own words, horses are just "big, dumb beasts of burden."_

Seto's mental laughter rang through Yami's head. _Yeah, he made an impression all right… his teeth, Valon's knee. _

Yami gaped at Seto. _He BIT him?_

_Just hard enough to shut him up. You should have seen it!_

_So we're the proud owners of an attack pony? _

_Hehehe, yeah._

Yami cocked an eyebrow, but ended up just shaking his head and smiling. Only Seto would be crazy enough to buy a pony that bit people. But he supposed it was all right as long as it didn't actively chase people down and attack them, or else they'd probably never see the mailman again. Or the housekeeper. Or half the security staff. _So... does this vicious attack pony have a name?_

_Kuriboh._

_Kuriboh?_ Yami began laughing. Yep, crazy indeed. But at least he was never boring.

* * *

TBC

Author's Notes:  
- Re: Aussie slang. "Holy dooley" = an exclamation like "my goodness!" "Nipper" = infant, toddler. "Jackaroo" = male ranch hand.  
- Originally it was supposed to be Yami and Valon going to get tats while Seto and Pegasus went to the horse farm, but I switched it up since I already split things that way in chapter 2. And I think it was much more amusing this way since it allowed me to get Kuriboh the pony into the storyline. So sorry to everyone who wanted to see Valon get a tat... maybe next time.  
- Yes, the mean-spirited Tony was based off a real pony who had bitten an acquaintance of mine moments after she had told everyone that not even the meanest horse in the stable would bite her.


	5. Ch 5: Auld Lang Syne

Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! is the creation of Kazuki Takahashi. This is a not-for-profit fanwork and I do not own any of these characters.

**

* * *

'Tis the Season**

**Ch. 5: Auld Lang Syne**

* * *

It was supposed to be, in Yami's own words, just "a little get together." Which in Seto's mind should have translated to being the four of them plus maybe Yugi and Anzu, but he really wasn't terribly surprised when a seemingly endless stream of hors d'oeuvres started rolling out of the kitchen. Turned out that Jou, Mai, Shizuka, Otogi and Honda were already back from their Vegas getaway, and that Yugi, Anzu and Sugoroku would be coming over a little later as well, and that Pegasus and his bunch would be staying until the next afternoon. So even though Malik and Bakura weren't due back until after the new year had begun, it would still be a crowded house. And to make the situation even better… Pegasus, Rafael and Amelda had bought an alarming amount of booze _and_…Yami was cranky.

"Ouch." Seto jerked his hand away from a plate of pita chips as Yami slapped it lightly.

The former Pharaoh had been bustling by, a plate of cheese cubes in hand, when he had caught the attempted thievery of chips. "Not yet, Baby. Wait for the guests. They'll be here any minute now."

"I was going to eat one lousy chip, Yami. You're always complaining I don't eat enough."

"Well, this is _different_."

Seto pulled away a bit. _Your back still bothering you?_ Not that he really had to ask since he could feel the slight phantom prickling on his own skin, but he wasn't sure how much more intense the pain was for Yami, even though this time around, the tattooed patch of skin seemed to be healing up quite rapidly. Perhaps there was some validity in Sugoroku's assertion that their link somehow allowed them to physically heal faster, though surprisingly enough, Yami didn't believe it was possible.

_It's… it's not that bad. Sorry. I don't mean to be so snappy. It's just…_

_Hmm?_

Yami let out a breath. _Valon is driving me NUTS in the kitchen! I know he's trying to help, but he's just in the way of everything, and every time I kick him out, he ends up wandering back in. By the Nile, he's a great friend, but he's just so… so… everywhere!_

_Sort of like what I used to do?_ Seto took the plate out of Yami's hands and placed it on the dining room table before he upset it with all his gesticulating.

_Uh… yeah._

_Well…_ and Seto looked towards the entrance of the kitchen. _Shall I forcibly remove him?_

_Don't be mean to him, Seto_.

_I won't be mea… hn! Fine, whatever, but can I just say that I can hardly wait to get all these people out of the house?_

Yami sighed audibly. _I hate to say this, but... same here. I've enjoyed seeing everyone again, but I guess it was a bad idea for them to stay in the house with us._

_I agree. No privacy… _The young billionaire pressed himself lightly against his boyfriend's back.

_Yup._

A hand traced its way down the side of Yami's neck and floated over his chest. _I like having my privacy. _

Yami turned towards the touch and… the doorbell rang. Seto rolled his eyes.

"I'll get it!" Mokuba yelled as he ran by.

"Hey, stop making out you two!" Valon chided from the kitchen.

Seeing that he wasn't going to get anywhere any time soon, Seto decided that the best thing to do with his frustration was… to kill Valon. Without a convenient attack pony to sic on Valon, he opted to just go and start chasing him around with a very deadly nylon ladle in one hand. Okay, so it wasn't such a great weapon. But at least it gave him the satisfaction of getting in a few blows on the laughing Aussie without the risk of actually killing him. He supposed if he had assaulted Valon with a butcher's knife, maybe Rafael would've seen the need to flatten him, and then things would have gotten messy.

"Jesus, are you trying ta kill him or somethin'?" a familiar voice barked.

Without even looking over, Seto smirked and said, "They let you out of the pound, Mutt?"

Jou growled. "Why you…"

"Hey, Valon! What are you doing here?" Mai interjected, running over to hug her former suitor. Then she saw the other hands waving at her from the family room. "Amelda, Rafael, Pegasus? Wow, is this a big reunion or what?"

"Maybe this is for one of them decorating shows, 'cuz you don't get this many gay guys together in one place without someone trying to reupholster something," Jou added airily. Everyone turned and stared at him. "What?!"

"Since you have their attention, give them the big announcement, Onii-san," Shizuka whispered from behind her brother. Otogi and Honda snickered beside her.

"Oh yeah. Heheh, okay, listen up! See, Mai and I figured that since we…"

Mai rolled her eyes and decided to hurry things along. Grabbing Jou's left hand with her left, she held them both aloft and yelled, "We got HITCHED!"

"WHAT!?!" several voices cried out.

"Congratulations!" said Yami, stepping forward to give them both a hug and to examine their gold wedding bands.

"My condolences," Seto told Mai with a smirk.

Valon looked depressed for a moment, then brightened up considerably. "Well, we can always have an affair, right Mai? Or a threesome, if _Katsuya_ swings that way." He gave the brown-eyed blonde a wink as he went sidling up to him.

Jou gave the Aussie a queasy look.

"I'm sure he does," Seto commented, then at Jou's sharp glare of disapproval, he added, "Well, better Valon hitting on you than on Yami."

"Gee, thanks Rich Boy. Go away Valon; I'm a married man and _definitely_ not interested."

Valon pouted, then whispered, "Well, we can always have an affair, Jounouchi. Mai doesn't have to know…"

* * *

Of course, Mai and Jou's sudden elopement was the talk of the party. They swore up and down that they hadn't planned it, but something about being in Sin City loosened Jou's inhibitions and he apparently blurted out a proposal in a buffet line somewhere between the fried shrimp and the baked salmon. Not exactly romantic, but the spontaneity of it made Mai laugh, and hell, if the worst a guy could do was to make her laugh, she figured maybe marrying him wasn't such a bad idea after all. So after lunch they went and bought rings, then got a recommendation to a themed wedding chapel. Figuring that since they were staying at the Luxor, they'd keep the theme going and opted for the Egyptian wedding package at the chapel. Honda was the best man, Shizuka the maid of honor, and the minister was…

"Oh no," Yami groaned as he slowly flipped through the photos that Otogi had taken. "King Tut? That's awful."

Mai laughed. "I thought so too, but oh well, we had already picked the package. And at least I got to be carried in on a palanquin by two 'slaves.'"

Yugi smiled. "I really wish we could've been there. It had to be hilarious!"

"I know Otogi laughed through the entire ceremony," Honda commented. "That's why half of the photos came out blurry."

"Yeah, I wish we had time to fly ya out Yug, but it was so spur of the moment 'n all… well, tell ya what. Mai and I will host Friday night this week then, how 'bout that? It'll be like our… uh, reception."

"Aww, I wish I could attend," Pegasus said, listing a little towards Jou, the steady flow of alcohol already working him into a nice state of sedation, "but sadly I and my employees will be back in California by then. So here, I just went and wrote you a check. Happy wedding. Have I told you all that I _love_ weddings?"

"Uh, thanks…" Jou looked down at the somewhat crinkled slip of paper, then nearly dropped it. "Holy shit! Are you kidding? Or just drunk?" There was no way he was going to accept $5,000 from someone who was potentially so sloshed that he wouldn't remember what he had done. He'd had enough of lushes in his life, thank you very much.

"He's not drunk, I am," Amelda told no one in particular as he began pouring orange juice into a glass of peach schnapps and vodka with ice.

"Keep going, 'cause I'm not holding your hair back while you chunder," Valon mumbled at his redheaded lover, though he really didn't mean it.

Pegasus grinned. "I haven't had that much to drink. Don't worry. Keep it. I want you both to have a wonderful life together! Gosh, I love love. Did you know I met my Cyndia at a party in Las Vegas?"

"That's great…" _Some help here?_

Mai butted in to rescue her new husband from the turn the conversation was taking. "Thank you, Pegasus. This was extremely generous of you." Okay, so they weren't that hard up for cash, but from the look on Pegasus' face, the man was eager for them to smile and gush and ultimately accept the gift. So she took the check out of Jou's hand and slipped it into her purse before giving Pegasus a brilliant smile. "I'm sure we could use some new things in the apartment once we figure out all of the arrangements."

"What are the living arrangements?" Anzu had to ask. After all, Honda was Jou's roommate, but they had been talking about having Honda move out anyways so that Shizuka could move in once she was 18 and done with high school.

"Well, I'm movin' in with Mai obviously," Jou began. "And since we were on a month-to-month lease, Honda will be lookin' fer a new place and a new roomie."

"Maybe he can move in with Malik and Bakura," Yugi suggested. "Or even Otogi."

Otogi cleared his throat. "Actually, I asked him on the way over if he wanted to move in with me. Figured I have the room, so why not?"

Noa glanced at Shizuka standing off to Otogi's side. "That makes it convenient."

Jou blinked and cluelessly looked in his sister's direction, then at his friends. Other than the fact that she seemed slightly flushed, and Otogi and Honda were both looking around as if there were something interesting on the ceiling, he didn't see anything that explained Noa's comment . "What makes what convenient?"

A wicked grin crossed Valon's face. "Ah, nice one, kid!"

Anzu wrinkled her nose cutely, then decided to go one step further. "So what about you, Shizuka? Are you still planning on moving out this summer?"

"I'd like to, but… well, we'll see. Since I can't move in with my brother…"

"We'll help you find a place, don't you worry!" Honda blurted out. Otogi elbowed him, then both of them began looking around innocently as Jou turned and stared at them again.

"Am I missin' somethin' here?"

* * *

The party turned out to be not much of a party, but more a gathering of good friends reliving memories of the past year. At least that was what it was for Yugi-tachi, who ended up in the media room to watch the video recording of Jou and Mai's wedding while chatting about anything that came to mind. Seto had no complaints about that… he liked it quiet, and having them all herded in there made things a lot quieter for him. But somehow, he lost track of Yami, which was odd because he just _always_ knew where the ex-spirit was. Even opening their link up a bit more didn't help; it just made him lightheaded. Maybe it was because Yami had been drinking a bit too much, or maybe it was something else, but he just couldn't seem to get a good fix on him and only knew for certain that he was close by, which still gave him reason to worry.

On the way out from a second check of the media room, someone tapped Seto on the shoulder, and he turned around to find Valon standing behind him. "Have you seen Yami around?" he asked immediately, figuring it wouldn't hurt to question the Aussie.

"Have you seen Rafael or Amelda?" Valon responded.

"I thought they were passed out on the sofa with Pegasus." Okay, so he could see that in fact, only Pegasus was asleep on the sofa, but frankly, Seto didn't care. _Where's Yami?_

Valon's eyes narrowed slightly, but then he sighed in resignation. "I know you don't care, mate, but… ah hell, never mind. I think Yami said he was heading out back for some fresh air," he answered listlessly.

Seto gave a slight nod and went to go find his boyfriend, but at the last moment, he turned and looked back at Valon. Now that he thought about it, it was unusual to see the normally chipper teen looking so despondent. Maybe he was taking the news of Mai's marriage hard; he did carry a torch for her for quite some time. "Uh, look… it's not so bad. She wouldn't have married you anyways, right?"

Valon gave Seto the oddest look, then a slight smile touched his lips. "Good thing you're not a motivational speaker. But I'm okay with her marrying Jou, I guess. He's a good bloke; not the full quid, but he'll do right by her."

"If not Mai…"

"Rafael, Amelda and Pegasus don't always do parties and holidays very well. Oh sure, they look all festive hitting the turps," and he made a shot slamming motion, "but they don't know when to stop."

"Parties are better drunk, huh?" Seto didn't have the type of distaste Jou had for binge drinking, but he wasn't relishing the thought of finding a bunch of drunks passed out in his house either.

Valon's lips tightened. "There's people who drink because they're happy, and there's those who drink because they're not happy. Anyways, if you'll excuse me… I'm going to go find my boyfriends, and then Rafael and I will probably spend the night making sure that Amelda and Pegasus don't kark it. Happy New Year's, Kaiba."

Seto watched wordlessly as Valon brushed past him and headed for the sofa. The younger brunette shook Pegasus awake enough to get him standing in an attempt to drag him out of the family room, supporting the taller man's weight as he groggily swayed from side to side. He told himself it didn't matter about Pegasus and Valon and the rest of them, but his feet betrayed him and he found himself automatically moving forward to help prop Pegasus up from the other side. Valon peered over Pegasus' shoulder at him, surprise etched on his face.

"I…" Well, Seto really didn't have anything to say. He wasn't even sure what he was doing. So he gave a lopsided shrug and began tugging Pegasus towards the guestrooms, trying to match his pace to Valon's. But he couldn't help but suddenly wonder… was this what he would've been doing if he had actually ended things with Yami? Would he have been drinking in the name of celebration while in reality, he hadn't reason to celebrate? And how much worse was it for Pegasus, who had actually lost his lover, or Amelda, who had lost his little brother, or Rafael, who had lost his entire family on a single day? He wanted to say that he would have been better than that, that he would have been consoled by the fact that Yami wasn't dead, only gone from his life... he wanted to say that he wouldn't have resorted to finding forgetfulness in the bottom of a bottle, but it was easy to ignore that possibility when he wasn't directly faced with making that choice.

"… from here," Valon was saying.

"What?" Seto blinked and looked at the other duelist, confused. He had been so engrossed in his own thoughts that he hadn't realized that they had already reached Pegasus' room.

"I said, I can take things from here." Valon's eyes carefully scanned Seto's face as if searching for some hint of understanding, and then he cracked a smile. "Look… thanks for the help. It's almost midnight, and Yami's out back, okay?"

* * *

Seto finally found Yami sitting out on the patio with a pair of champagne flutes on the glass tabletop. Even though it wasn't snowing at the moment, the ground still had patches of the white stuff, and it was still cold enough for everything to be frosted over in a shimmering coat of silver. And Yami was clad in only a long-sleeved silk shirt and jeans – he had to be freezing. So why was he sitting outside when all his friends were indoors?

"What's wrong? It's not like you to walk out on your own party."

Yami turned his head slightly and flashed Seto a warm smile. In a surprisingly clear voice, he said, "I figured you'd come out sooner or later. I just wanted to end the year with just the two of us, you know?"

"Out in the freezing cold? Been hitting the bubbly a little hard?" He hadn't meant to sound so bitter about it, but he could still smell the alcohol on Pegasus' breath…

The crimson-eyed teen suddenly shivered, as if he had suddenly been reminded just how cold it was, but he easily laughed it off. "Well, it is New Year's Eve. I figured I should get into the spirit of things. But maybe I did have a bit too much wine earlier… I feel more warm and fuzzy than party hearty."

Seto relaxed marginally as Yami grinned at him again. At least his lover fell into the "drinking because he's happy" category as opposed to the other one, though he'd prefer to see him a bit more sober. "Come on, let's go inside." He held a hand out to help Yami up, but the younger duelist tugged at it until Seto gave in and finally bent down in frustration.

"What time is it, Seto?" Yami asked, trying to figure out how to read Seto's watch upside down.

"A little over five minutes till midnight, give or take a few seconds."

"Sit with me until midnight, then we can go in, okay?"

Seto hadn't brought a coat out either, so he was beginning to really feel the chill, but hell, Yami was only asking for five minutes, so after wasting four seconds on thinking about it, he sat down in a chair next to his lover. Yami almost immediately climbed onto his lap and straddled and kissed him, all warm and languorous, tasting a little of champagne, and Seto began hoping that Yami had the foresight to stash some lube in the bushes as Yami ground his crotch against his lap.

_Been… year…_

"Wait, Yami. I can't understand you when you're drunk." The fuzzy feeling was back, and Seto was now certain it was the buzz from the alcohol somehow leaking through their connection. And then he wondered if he could actually help Yami sober up faster if he kept the link open… it certainly was worth trying.

"Oh?" Yami pouted slightly, then frowned. "Is that why you didn't come out earlier?"

"I couldn't find you," Seto admitted, feeling a wee bit tipsy already. "Couldn't get a fix on you, couldn't get a response, nothing."

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize…"

"Doesn't matter."

They sat in silence for another minute, content to just sit together, then Yami spoke up again. "It's been an interesting year, huh?"

Seto's mind rolled through the last 12 months of his life. Their first anniversary, their first vacation… things had seemed impossibly good… and then the earthquake and the subsequent series of horrible decisions he had made. His throat felt dry as he rasped, "Yeah, interesting…"

"Don't, Seto." Yami nuzzled his boyfriend, then locked his crimson eyes on Seto's sapphire ones. "It all worked out okay. Maybe… if it hadn't happened the way it did, you'd have never found a way to accept… to tell me… that you love me."

Seto stiffened almost imperceptibly, but after a moment's hesitation, his hands moved up to trace Yami's spine through the thin fabric of his shirt, carefully bypassing the still-tender areas. "Maybe." He sighed. "I don't deserve you Yami, I really don't… _but_," and he smiled at Yami's sudden look of disapproval, "I'm glad you think I do."

The ex-spirit smacked his lover on the arm. "Geez, you did that on purpose."

"Yeah." Seto smirked, then glanced at his watch again. "One minute until midnight."

Yami smiled and sat back a little, going for the champagne flutes. He handed one to Seto, then held his aloft. "A toast then?"

The young CEO stared at the glass, then finally accepted it. _Might as well. _"Mm."

Yami leaned in until his breath tickled the fine hairs by Seto's ear. "To you, my Kai-baby – the most selfless person I know. Despite your 'flaws,' I wouldn't change a thing about you, because that's what makes you the man that you are. The man that I love."

Seto flushed slightly. He couldn't think of anything that would be nearly that poetic. The best he could do, he supposed, was to just be honest. "And to you, Yami. For putting up with my shit, 'cause I know no one else would. For never giving up on us, even when I had given up myself. And for… being with me past, present, … and future."

"That was very nice. To us." Yami was beaming as he lightly touched his glass to Seto's.

"To us." He took a sip, letting the slightly bitter liquid burn away the dregs of the old year, then looked at his watch one last time. "Five. Four. Three. Two… Happy New Year's, Yami-kins."

"Happy New Year's," Yami breathed, his lips nearly grazing Seto's just long enough to get that out, and then he closed the gap between them for a gentle kiss which quickly heated up into something far more passionate. _Briefcase… in bushes…_

Well, that was one way to ring in the new year…

* * *

OWARI

Author's Notes:  
- Re: Aussie slang. "Chunder" vomit. "Not the full quid" not very bright. "Hitting the turps" going on a drinking binge. "Kark it" die.  
- Yup, got Mai and Jou hitched. Surprise! Guess what happens in Vegas… doesn't always stay in Vegas smirks Yes, I found a wedding chapel in Vegas that does "Egyptian themed" weddings (come on, no one is surprised by that I'm sure) and it does look like a silly idea but hey, if you can get married by Elvis, why not get married by King Tut instead? Oh, BTW...the wedding package would've come with a live internet broadcast as well, but I opted to leave that out because I wanted the news of the nuptials to truly be a surprise.  
- I know that the little conversation between Seto and Valon was an odd turn, but I wanted to get it in the story anyways. Not trying to depress anyone (especially since this is supposed to be a humorous fic and series!) but I've always sorta imagined Rafael, Amelda and Pegasus as being drinkers (esp. Pegsy) with what they've been through, so I wanted to keep that consistent with the previous stories I've written.  
- I've realized that I've been writing with the assumption that everyone has read my previous stories, so I'll do a quick recap of the more salient points. In chapter 1, the duplex was purchased back in "The Boys of Summer," when Yami and Seto were on vacation in California. In chapter 4, all the tattoo stuff is a throwback to "More Than Words" where Yami surprised Seto on their anniversary by taking him to a tattoo parlor. And this entire story draws a lot from "Aftershocks," which is way too difficult to summarize well, but basically Yami gets injured in an earthquake and Seto suddenly freaks out and breaks up with Yami in a misguided attempt to keep him safe. Don't ask – you have to read it to have it make sense, and even then...


End file.
